Taken from the new album “Magna Carta” which releases internationally on 3rd December 2012, this is the official video for the single “White Russian” by London’s Melanin 9 which also features Roc Marciano, produced by Anatomy
“Magna Carta” is Melanin 9’s debut album following renowned mixtapes High Fidelity and 144,000, and has received an exceptional media response, including magazines such as Clash, MOJO, Q Magazine, The Guestlist Network’s “Album of the Month” and many more from both sides of the Atlantic.
His recent “SkooledBy” performance for SBTV was featured by The Source in the United States, and he will be featured in France’s International Hip Hop Magazine shortly
His album launch night takes place Upstairs at The Vibe Bar, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 on Friday 23rd November 8pm – 1am (£5 entry, 18+). As well as performing tracks from his new album, he will be joined by Choice FM’s DJ 279, host Iron Braydz, and there will be further performances by Genesis Elijah, Rewd Adams, Cyrus Malachi, Logic, Phoenix da Icefire and Skriblah Dangogh
Anyone who is a fan of traditional hip hop from the Tru Skool / Golden Era will definitely be feeling this British emcee who has built up a reputation as one of the finest lyricists around today.
You can also follow him on twitter @Melanin_9
ALBUM TRACKLIST FOR “MAGNA CARTA”
1) Gene of Isis (prod by Anatomy)
2) Magna Carta (prod by Anatomy)
3) Landslide (prod by Anatomy – scratches by Evil Ed)
4) The 7 Blues (ft Madame Pepper) (prod by Hey!Zues)
5) Cosmos (prod by Parental – scratches by DJ LOD)
6) 11:08 (prod by Option Command)
7) Love’s Stencil (ft Madame Pepper) (prod by OhBliv)
8) Heartless Island (ft Triple Darkness) (prod by Jehst)
9) White Russian (ft Roc Marciano) (prod by Anatomy)
10) Red Snow (prod by Anatomy)
11) Organised Democracy (prod by Tony Mahony – scratches by DJ Madhandz)
12) No Man’s Land (ft Triple Darkness) (prod by 7th Dan)
13) Colour Blind (ft Madame Pepper) (prod by Anatomy)
14) Marble (prod by Tony Mahoney)
Here’s a promo video from our homie Stakka Lyrics for his upcoming EP with producer Remulak called ‘The Remarkable EP’. The EP drops on December 1st and also features talented emcee Xidus Pain. I’ve alredy got a copy of the EP sitting in the HHL&T inbox so expect a further posting and review when the EP drops next week.
We’ve been fans of SGT Over for quite some time over here at the old HHLAT camp, so today we’re very happy to announce the release of his brand new album which is up on iTunes on all the links below, both UK and international. So do yourself a favour and pick this up, it comes highly recommended…From us! (Obviously) For fans of Piece Of Mind, Fashawn, Planet Asia.
If you need some convincing here’s a few tasters from his previous releases, some of which are free, but really you shouldn’t be a cheapskate. If you can afford to buy a fuckin’ $3/£3 coffee from Starbucks (who by the way DON’T PAY THEIR TAX) then you can support your scene.
This podcast features a very interesting and in-depth interview with London-based rapper and spoken word artist The Ruby Kid. A less standard interview, we tried to avoid the pitfalls of simply asking Ruby Kid who his favourite rapper was, and when his latest album was coming out. Although you will find that out, you’ll also hear more detailed explanations about him as a person; his politics, ideas behind his songs, his spoken-word art and a generally informal chat. Apologies for the volume of the interview, just turn it on up a little and you’ll be fine. It was our very first Skype interview, hey even Def Jam started somewhere too you know. You’ll also get the usual shit-talking, latest underground tracks, old skool, lesser known and popular artists from the world of hip-hop. Enjoy and please share. For track listing check the site itself, as well for links to the previous podcasts which are now on Archives.org which you download for free, the stream is on the right of the page and the free download is on the left. Check the link below for all the previous podcast and the track listing for this episode. Podcast Links!
We got sent this tasty little track yesterday. It’s a song that the longer you listen the more you hear the weird little parts, and extras; in short it has a lot of depth. The ending is super abrupt, and I like the disjointed vibe throughout the video and track alike. Along with the video and the usual bio, we were sent a short explanation behind the video and song, and I thought it was quite interesting, interesting enough to share with you all. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
For fans of Atmosphere, Cunninlynguists, Alias & Fakts and Rhyme Asylum.
“The song is based on samples and beats from Christer Haveland (CHB), with lyrics and further producing by Delario, and a vibe that immediately led to heavy studio sessions with producer Espen Andersen (Andersen Productions) that caught the intense, unnerving vibe with a gritty, borderline two-dimensional sound that makes you think of old black and white movies. Delario (Andreas Wallevik), inspired by artists as Atmosphere, Kendrick Lamar and The Streets, took on a challenge laying down the vocal tracks on this tune, which resulted in raw tracks with a strong focus, a dark contrast to what he is known for from previous albums, ep’s and mixtapes. The need to tell a story, replicate a feeling or a situation and the urge to create music that can engage the listeners inspires me as an artist” Delario says. This fall, Deadbeatz and Delario has further expanded their collaboration, and several new projects are lined up, featuring strong Norwegian artists like Galexy, Lenole PennaXum and Kjartan Gaulfossen, and movie production company Febril Film, which produced the video for “Teddy’s Nightmare”, and made an excellent use of elements from horror movies in order to set the mood for the video.”
Some very sad news to report to you this evening/afternoon/morning. Legendary rapper and hip-hop inovator Heavy D has died. He was found unconscious in his home, and sadly did not wake up. He was only 44 years old, but if you know your stuff (and you really should) you’ll know what a massive contribution Heavy D made to the culture and music of hip-hop. He was a rapper, producer, actor and of course founder of both Heavy D and the Boyz, and G-Whiz.
In celebration of the man’s life we’ve posted a few of his best tracks, and to remind you all to keep the man’s music forever alive. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Heavy D’s family and friend, a true legend has died today. Rest in Peace.
For more information click on the link.
The dudes from Madd Caesar have teamed up with Sabac Red (formerly of Non Phixion), Kiwi (formerly Native Guns), and Satellite High to release ‘Pet Elephant’. All the he money made from the song will go to the American Red Cross in order to help the victim of Hurricane Sandy. I hate saying it’s political because everything is linked to everything, and everything is political in some form or another (and if you didn’t understand what I just said, then you need to get yourself a nice cup of tea and list everything that’s currently worrying you). The subject matter is extremely relevant to the world’s current events, and it’s also extremely good. Go buy this song (it’s name your price), get yourself a sick track and help your fellow human out.
For those of us lucky enough to live in Bristol (why don’t we have a cool name like other cites and towns in the UK? Maybe I’ll start referring to it as B-Town. Does that sounds stupid? Answers on a postcard please.) Vinnie Paz and ILL Bill will be gracing our fair city with their presence on December 2nd. I’m going to let you ungrateful lot into our secrets and let you see the press release. Oooh how lucky you are.
On Sunday 2nd December, Lakota Bristol will be host to two hardcore hip-hop legends, as ILL BILL and Vinnie Paz arrive to showcase both their solo material and their work as the Heavy Metal Kings duo.
The event is presented by OTU Live, part of entertainment collective Overrating the Underrated.
For more than a decade and a half, Vinnie Paz has been a mainstay at the top of the independent hip-hop scene. He is the frontman of both Jedi Mind Tricks and Army of the Pharaohs and one half of the Heavy Metal Kings duo with ILL BILL. His sophomore solo album, God of the Serengeti, features production by DJ Premier, Havoc (Mobb Deep), Psycho Les (Beatnuts), C-Lance and more with guest appearances by Scarface, Mobb Deep, Immortal Technique, La Coka Nostra, Army of the Pharaohs, Kool G. Rap, R.A. the Rugged Man and others. The 18-track album promises to add another chapter in the growing legacy of Vinnie’s uncompromising brand of hardcore hip-hop.
Having garnered a name for himself as the main voice behind the legendary Non-Phixion, ILL Bill has solidified his position at the top of the underground with his unrivaled work ethic as solo artist and a number of groups. Fresh of the back off the success of La Coka Nostra’s second album Masters Of The Dark Arts Bill is straight back in the studio working on the second Heavy Metal Kings album as well as his next solo, The Grimy Awards.
Support on the night comes from High Focus’ Leaf Dog and BVA. Having recently headlined the Boom Bap Festival, the two continue to build a name for themselves both on the mic and behind the boards. With a CV boasting heavyweight names such as KRS-One, Kool G Rap, Jean Grae, and Vinnie Paz himself, it’s going to become harder and harder to ignore this West Country duo.
Tickets are available at Lakota for £16. Doors open at 7.30pm. See overratingtheunderrated.com for more details. Contact chris@overratingtheunderrated.com for enquiries regarding the event, and ajay@overratingtheunderrated.com for press enquiries.
Have cheeky gander at Vinnie Paz’s track ‘Cheesesteaks’ from his recently released album ‘God Of The Serengeti’.
For those that are aware, today is the very last day of Immortal Technique’s short European tour. Matt (our in-house beatboxer) and I got ourselves tickets and went to see him play in Bristol on the 24th of October.
Now there is always a strange dichotomy here when you finally get the chance to see one of your favourite musicians, because a lot of the time they either go far beyond your expectations, or they’ll be so awful you’ll wished you’d stayed at home. This isn’t always the musician’s fault though, as I know a lot of people (myself included) have a bad habit of hyping up the live show so much, that no reality will ever be able to contend with the imagined one. With this in mind I calmed my superfan down as much as I could and went to see one of my favourite MCs of all time.
When we arrived Swave Sevah and Poison Pen was warming up the crowd. I have to be honest and say I wasn’t super impressed with the performances from these guys, but I think a lot of that was to do with the sloppy engineering. Hey here’s a tip to every sound engineer ever that works at live venues, YOU DON’T NEED ANYMORE BASS. I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING. THIS ISN’T A DNB GIG. Thank-you. They put in a good amount of energy and passion into their songs, and whilst I’m not very familiar with their music they gave it a lot of heart. They just weren’t my cup of tea, but I respected their talent.
When Tech finally came out, the place went insane and he burst straight into ‘The Martyr’, which made me very happy as it’s one of my favourites off his new release. Matt is a giant, and I’m a tiny half-Asian. With this in mind, I reasoned that Captain Longshanks could see wherever he was, but I couldn’t so I did some of that ‘pushy, pushy, move, move’ hustle and got myself a nice view from the side of the stage where all the other short people were. I spent the whole show here, and it demonstrated why I love underground hip-hop, and independent culture as a whole. I had no idea who these kids were, but the generally friendly, and inclusive atmosphere is always such a relief from when I occasionally dip my feet into ‘mainstream’ culture. I’m sure that sounded snobby, but oh well. During the show two dudes decided to start a fight, so Tech immediately stopped playing, got everyone to shout “Stop ruining the show” and told the two guys if they wanted to carry on fighting then they’d have to leave.
Throughout the show, Tech constantly reminded the audience why he was making the music he was, and the background stories behind a lot of his songs. I was a particular fan of him addressing women’s roles within the history of social revolution when talking about the motivation behind ‘Dance With The Devil’. Whilst it wasn’t a true portrayal of his life, it was something that happens every day regardless of whether he raps about it or not, and if we want to change then we needed to change the way we treat women and our communities (Yeah, yeah Captain Obvious, right?). I’m half paraphrasing here but it went a little something like this: “Don’t forget that women were the ones that started the revolution. They’re the ones shooting the guns, and constantly reloading!”. As always Tech is always non-apologetic in his political ideals, and is never one to shy away from hip-hop’s revolutionary foundation and history. In short, if you don’t want to hear ‘big words’ or ‘politics’ then I suggest you get the fuck out of hip-hop and underground culture, and back into the mainstream. This is something we need, and something we are all responsible for. I’m not saying we have to be serious every single day, I’m just saying writing songs about bitches, how much bling you’ve got, and how much crack you’ve sold for 5 albums isn’t responsible. Write a party track, in fact write ten just make them good. Tech carries the legacy and progression of hip-hop on his shoulders. He also acts as loudly as he speaks, and spoke on his trip to Afghanistan where he funded the opening of an orphanage. I don’t think half these radio-rappers can claim something as substantial as that.
Aside from dropping knowledge and making sure idiots didn’t start fighting; the live show itself was fantastic. DJ Static put on amazing set, and has some ridiculous skills. Tech was on point with every song he played, and it was in some ways far better than his recorded material. I was thoroughly impressed, and very happy my own projected fantasies had been long surpassed by the reality of the performance (Hooray!). The show was about an hour long, and he played a healthy mix of his new and old material, although sadly not enough tracks from The 3rd World which was sad, as I would have loved to hear ‘Parole’ or ‘Crimes Of The Heart’. I don’t care what anyone sells, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable album.
I would have happily stayed for another hour, but hey that’s the secret of a good entertainer, don’t outstay your welcome and always keep them wanting more.
If you’re going to see Immortal Technique tonight, then you are one of the lucky ones. I found a little live video of the show, so have a look and see what you missed.
Set-List (ish, hey I was busy having fun!):
The Martyr
Angels and Demons
Toast To The Dead (with a nice shout-out to Roc Raida)
DJ Static mix
Harlem Streets
Bin Laden
The 4th Branch
Caught In The Hustle
Point Of No Return
Peruvian Cocaine
Industrial Revolution
Obnoxious
Dance With The Devil (Zomgzzz)
